Asked by: Stephen Gethins (Scottish National Party - Arbroath and Broughty Ferry)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the position paper, Continuity in the availability of goods for the EU and the EU, published on 21 August 2017, what discussions he has had with representatives of trades unions in Scotland on the contents of that position paper.
Answered by Margot James
There is no record of any specific discussion between Ministers in this department and Scottish trade union representatives on the position paper, “Continuity in the availability of goods for the EU and the UK”. I plan shortly to hold a roundtable with trade unions on their priorities for the UK’s exit from the EU and will invite representation from Scotland.
Asked by: Stephen Gethins (Scottish National Party - Arbroath and Broughty Ferry)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the position paper, Continuity in the availability of goods for the EU and the EU, published on 21 August 2017, what discussions he has had with other EU member states on the contents of that position paper.
Answered by Margot James
The Department has engaged, and continues to engage, with a range of stakeholders on all of the published position papers relevant to the work of the Department.
Asked by: Stephen Gethins (Scottish National Party - Arbroath and Broughty Ferry)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the position paper, Continuity in the availability of goods for the EU and the EU, published on 21 August 2017, whether it is the Government's policy to allow EU institutions oversight over the Government's proposals to ensure continuity in the availability of goods for the EU and the UK; and whether it is the Government's policy to have such arrangements fall within the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice.
Answered by Margot James
In leaving the European Union, we will bring about an end to the direct jurisdiction of the Courts of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) in the UK. The UK and the EU therefore need to agree governance arrangements to ensure continuity in the availability of goods for the EU and the UK in line with the Government’s proposals. The Dispute Resolution and Enforcement future partnership paper published on 23 August 2017 explores a number of existing precedents for such arrangements.
Asked by: Stephen Gethins (Scottish National Party - Arbroath and Broughty Ferry)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the position paper, Continuity in the availability of goods for the EU and the EU, published on 21 August 2017, what assessment his Department has made of the potential economic effect on UK businesses of their compliance activities having to be duplicated in the EU as a result of the outcome of negotiations with the EU.
Answered by Margot James
The Government is working towards a mutually beneficial outcome to the withdrawal negotiations. Nevertheless, a responsible government plans for contingency scenarios. The Department is actively considering all options in order to minimise disruption for UK businesses and avoid the introduction of new regulatory barriers. We continue to engage with UK stakeholders to understand their concerns and interests.
Asked by: Stephen Gethins (Scottish National Party - Arbroath and Broughty Ferry)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the position paper, Continuity in the availability of goods for the EU and the EU, published on 21 August 2017, what plans his Department has to support industry in the event that UK businesses' compliance activities have to be duplicated in the EU as a result of the outcome of negotiations with the EU.
Answered by Margot James
Our ambition is to reach a comprehensive future agreement with the EU that builds on the commonalities between our systems. Both the UK and the EU benefit from a frictionless trading relationship in goods. The UK wants to minimise regulatory barriers as part of the future UK-EU partnership. We continue to engage with UK stakeholders to understand and represent their concerns in the future negotiations.
Asked by: Stephen Gethins (Scottish National Party - Arbroath and Broughty Ferry)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the Government's policy paper, Collaboration on Science and Innovation: Future Partnership Paper, published on 6 September 2017, how much funding the UK has received in each of the last five years from the Horizon 2020 programme; and what those amounts were as a proportion of the total EU-wide funding in each of those years.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Marylebone
Between 2011 and 2015 the UK received around €5bn or 11% of total funding under the Framework Programmes for Research & Innovation. Further information can be found in the EU Expenditure and Revenue documents published online annually by the European Commission.
Asked by: Stephen Gethins (Scottish National Party - Arbroath and Broughty Ferry)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the Government's policy paper, Collaboration on Science and Innovation: Future Partnership Paper, published on 6 September 2017, what assessment the Government has made on the potential effect of the UK leaving the EU on its targets of UK research and development spending reaching 2.4 per cent of GDP by 2027; and what steps he plans to take to ensure that that target is reached.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Marylebone
This Government has set out its vision to meet R&D investment of 2.4% of GDP within ten years and 3% in the longer-term. R&D funding from the EU contributes to overall R&D expenditure in the UK and we would welcome an agreement to continue to collaborate with our European partners on major science, research, and technology initiatives.
While we remain a member of the EU, UK businesses and universities should continue to bid for competitive EU funds, and we will work with the Commission to ensure payment when funds are awarded. The Government will underwrite the payment of such awards, even when specific projects continue beyond the UK’s departure from the EU. This includes awards that are bid for before exit that are successful after exit.
Going forward, our ambition for R&D investment will be an important part of our Industrial Strategy and will require a concerted cross-government approach. We have already increased R&D investment by £4.7 billion over the period 2017-18 to 2020-21. This equates to an extra £2 billion per year by 2020-21 and is an increase of around 20% to total government R&D spending, more than any increase in any parliament since 1979.
Asked by: Stephen Gethins (Scottish National Party - Arbroath and Broughty Ferry)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the Government's policy paper, Collaboration on Science and Innovation: Future Partnership Paper, published on 6 September 2017, what assessment the Government has made on the potential effect on the UK research and innovation sector of the UK no longer being able to continue working through EUREKA, CERN, ESA or EBI after the UK leaves the EU.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Marylebone
EUREKA is an intergovernmental network which helps mostly small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) across Europe and aground the world to collaborate on R&D across borders to bring innovative ideas to market. The UK is a member of EUREKA in its own right and this does not change when the UK leaves the EU. The UK will continue to collaborate with European and international partners through the EUREKA network, and play a key role in this initiative. The UK will Chair the EUREKA Network from July 2018 to June 2019.
The UK’s membership of CERN is also unaffected by the UK leaving the EU. CERN is not an EU institution; it is an Intergovernmental Organisation subject to its own treaty. The European Space Agency (ESA) is a research organisation that is not part of the European Union. In December 2016, the Government committed €1.4 billion, reinforcing our intention to continue collaborating within the ESA on Space research and development.
Similarly, the European Bioinformatics Institute is a treaty organisation existing outside of the EU and UK participation is not impacted by the UK leaving the EU.
Asked by: Stephen Gethins (Scottish National Party - Arbroath and Broughty Ferry)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the Government's policy paper, Collaboration on Science and Innovation: Future Partnership Paper, published on 6 September 2017, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Scotland on the potential effect of the UK leaving the EU on the future of the Centre for Applied Photonics at the University of Strathclyde.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Marylebone
The Scottish Office met recently with the Principal at the Centre of Photonics for Applied Photonics at the University of Strathclyde.
The Centre for Applied Photonics is one of around 20 Fraunhofer Research Centres based around the world, including countries outside the EU, such as the Fraunhofer USA Center for Sustainable Energy Systems and the Faunhofer Center for Solar Energy Technologies in Chile. Fraunhofer Centres act in the same way as the Fraunhofer Institutes do in Germany, and form an integral part of a country’s innovation system while maintaining the core Fraunhofer principles and business model. Location in an EU member state is not a requirement for a Fraunhofer Centre.
Science and research are vital to our country’s prosperity, security and wellbeing, and are at the heart of our industrial strategy. As part of our commitment to the science base, we have already increased research and development investment by £4.7 billion over the period 2017-18 to 2020-21. This equates to an extra £2 billion per year by 2020-21 and is an increase of around 20% to total government R&D spending. Furthermore, the Government has guaranteed to underwrite the payments of any successful bids for competitive EU funding, such as funding from Horizon 2020, submitted by UK businesses and universities while we remain a member of the EU.
Asked by: Stephen Gethins (Scottish National Party - Arbroath and Broughty Ferry)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the Government's policy paper, Collaboration on Science and Innovation: A Future Partnership Paper, published on 6 September 2017, what discussions he has had with the Scottish Government on the potential effect of the UK leaving the EU on the future of the Centre for Applied Photonics at the University of Strathclyde.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Marylebone
We have been clear from the start that the Scottish Government should be fully engaged in our exit from the EU. The UK Government’s paper, Collaboration on Science and Innovation: A Future Partnership Paper, provides a basis for further discussion, including with the Scottish Government, on the future partnership the UK wants to build with the EU. We are committed to positive and productive engagement with the Scottish Government, including at the Joint Ministerial Committee on EU Negotiations, as we seek a deal that works for the entire United Kingdom.
The Centre for Applied Photonics at the University of Strathclyde is one of around 20 Fraunhofer Research Centres based around the world, including countries outside the EU, such as the Fraunhofer USA Center for Sustainable Energy Systems and the Fraunhofer Center for Solar Energy Technologies in Chile. Fraunhofer Centres act in the same way as the Fraunhofer Institutes do in Germany, and form an integral part of a country’s innovation system while maintaining the core Fraunhofer principles and business model. Location in an EU member state is not a requirement for a Fraunhofer Centre.
Science and research are vital to our country’s prosperity, security and wellbeing, and are at the heart of our industrial strategy. As part of our commitment to the science base, we have already increased research and development investment by £4.7 billion over the period 2017-18 to 2020-21. This equates to an extra £2 billion per year by 2020-21 and is an increase of around 20% to total government R&D spending. Furthermore, the Government has guaranteed to underwrite the payments of any successful bids for competitive EU funding, such as funding from Horizon 2020, submitted by UK businesses and universities while we remain a member of the EU.